Abstract

The family Formicidae is composed of ants that organize themselves into castes in which every individual has a joint organizational function. Solenopsis Westwood, 1840 is an ant genus with opportunistic and aggressive characteristics, known for being invasive species and stings that cause burning in humans. This genus is particularly difficult to classify and identify since its morphology provides few indications for species differentiation. For this, a tool that has been useful for evolutionary and taxonomic studies is cytogenetics. Here, we cytogenetically studied Solenopsis saevissima Smith, 1855 from Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We evaluated the occurrence of polyploid cells in individuals and colonies by conventional cytogenetics. A total of 450 metaphases were analyzed and counted. Chromosome counts of individuals and colonies showed varied numbers of ploidies, from n = 16 to 8n = 128. The karyomorphometrical approach allowed determination of the following karyotypes: n = 10 m + 4 sm + 2 st, 2n = 20 m + 8 sm + 4 st, and 4n = 40 m + 16 sm + 8 st. Polyploidy can be found naturally in individuals and colonies and may represent an adaptative trait related to widespread distribution and invasion ability of new habitats.

Addeddate

2025-03-15 13:03:13

Bhl_virtual_titleid

210879

Bhl_virtual_volume

v.17 (2023)

Call number

10_3897_compcytogen_17_100945

Call-number

10_3897_compcytogen_17_100945

Foldoutcount

0

Genre

article

Identifier

assessingploidy17dean

Identifier-ark

ark:/13960/s252m89nzc7

Identifier-bib

10_3897_compcytogen_17_100945

Identifier-doi

10.3897/compcytogen.17.100945

Ocr

tesseract 5.3.0-6-g76ae

Ocr_detected_lang

en

Ocr_detected_lang_conf

1.0000

Ocr_detected_script

Latin

Ocr_detected_script_conf

1.0000

Ocr_module_version

0.0.21

Ocr_parameters

-l eng

Page_number_confidence

81

Page_number_module_version

1.0.5

Page_range

59-73

Pages

15

Pdf_degraded

invalid-jp2-headers

Pdf_module_version

0.0.25

Possible copyright status

In copyright. Digitized with the permission of the rights holder.

Ppi

300

Source

Comparative Cytogenetics 17

Year

2023

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